Latino Organizers Planning Active Spring On Several Fronts
Latinos have been part of the Oregon community since the 1800s, but the state's Latino political movement is still very much a work in progress. April Baer reports that several groups are buzzing with activity in anticipation of spring organizing.Oregon Latino organizers are thinking about several different goals this spring. Some are taking aim at boosting education funding, or the state-level restrictions on drivers' licensing. But the most intense organizing is directed at the federal government, and immigration policy.Francisco Lopez "One thing we are asking the Obama administration, is to stop the raids in the first hundred days of the administration."Francisco Lopez heads CAUSA, Oregon's immigrant rights coalition. He says a recent immigration raid at an engine shop in Bellingham, Washington sent a shock wave through the community.Some who had campaigned for Barack Obama had counted on a more moderate policy this year, with less emphasis on arresting workers, and more on employers who give workers a reason to come to this country.One of CAUSA's Lane County organizers, Guadalupe Quinn, is spending this week in Washington D.C., talking to staff for both Oregon Senators and two members of the state's Congressional delegation.Guadalupe Quinn "We've actually come to talk about immigration but a couple of other issues."Like health care, the foreclosure crisis and its effect on Latino homeowners, and even some aspects of the stimulus package.Guadalupe Quinn "And realistically we're pretty much aware that with the economy he way it is that folks aren't going to be talking about or thinking about comprehensive immigration reform right now."But Quinn does see this as a golden opportunity to lay groundwork for immigration debates in the future. Half the job, she says, is just maintaining a presence with political leaders, and showing them Latinos are listening -- people like Gretchen and Enrique Ramos. The Ramos' say they lived in St. Helens, Oregon for years without giving a second thought to organizing and coalitions.Enrique Ramos: "I met Gretchen in a church like--five years ago."Gretchen Ramos: "We actually met through a friend."It wasn't long before the couple knew they wanted to get married. But there was a problem. Enrique came here illegally when he was nineteen.Enrique Ramos: "We want to make sure that we do the right thing."Gretchen Ramos: "I did a bunch of research on how to do that. We actually hired our attorneys before we were married."Enrique decided to drop the successful landscaping business he'd started, go back to Mexico and apply for legal re-entry into the United States.Two long and painful years later, he finally got a visa. But when he rejoined Gretchen and their baby son in St. Helens last October, he found himself in the middle of a nasty public argument.Last fall, Columbia County voters debated and ultimately approved a ban on hiring illegal immigrants. While in the past, no one ever even asked Enrique about his legal status, these days, he says some people have made comments to him in public.Enrique Ramos: "Right now, some people scream, 'Hey, go back to Mexico!' You know?" (laugh)Gretchen Ramos "Just hearing people when they talk, going into the stores in town, and they'll say 'Don't speak Spanish here'. Just silly little things you never thought of before in this town."For the first time, the Ramos' say they felt they wanted to get political. They've been to a few marches, joined committees, and have started talking to friends about working to change things.Oregon's Latino community hasn't often flexed its political muscles. One of the few manifestations can be found in Portland, where one year ago activists won over city council on the idea of a day labor hiring station.On this lot, several dozen men are waiting and hoping they'll be called in a lottery for one of the city's few open construction jobs.Site manager "Tres-trente-uno, three-thirty-one...."Here. prospective employers don't ask about immigration status.While Oregon has nowhere near the population of a California or Texas, some organizers are optimistic about the future. Lucilene Lira is an organizer with the Western States Center, which has been providing data and assistance to several left-leaning Latino groups throughout the state.It's always been a dicey proposition convincing people to mobilize. Even people who are legal residents or citizens often have undocumented family members who they're unwilling to put at risk. But Lira says, the promise of change is drawing out Latinos in ways even the economic slump can't dampen.Lucilene Lira "I think in the beginning people are scared, especially with the raids. But I think when people have lost everything, there's no farther to go down in the trench, it's like all or nothing."If you count Oregon's Latino voters, as of today, the numbers aren't overwhelming. About 100,000 are eligible to register and vote. But that's only a fraction of the estimated 400,000 Latinos who live here.Organizers are thinking in broad terms. They want to show that voting is only one tool in the political toolbox, and that people who've spent ten, fifteen, or twenty years in the region want a place at the table.A CAUSA planning meeting in Salem last weekend drew 500 people who'll fan out in their communities spreading the word in weeks to come.In addition to the national lobbying, a state political action day is in the works for Salem in mid-May.
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